Girdles



Feb. 17, 1959 P. J. MOR'ANO 2,873,744 4 GIRDLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledDec. 6, 1955 lnvenTor PaTrick J. Morano Feb. 17, 1959 P. J. 'MORANO2,873,744

7 GIRDLES Filed Dec. 6, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ln venl'or:

Pafric/r J. Mora/2o United States Patent GIRDLES Patrick J. Morano,Newark, N. J., assignor to Even-Pal Foundations, Inc., New York, N. Y.,a corporation of New York Application December 6, 1955, Serial No.551,414 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-554) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements and structural refinements in torso constricting and moldinundergarments, and more specifically concerns itself with structural andfunctional features of girdles, corsets, corselets, and the like.

The principal object of the invention is to efficiently control andshape the contour of the front abdominal and hip regions of the wearersbody, this being achieved by an improved front panel constructioncoacting'with improved elastic side panels which extend over the hips toimpart a molding action thereto in an oblique direction laterally anddownwardly from the front panel.

As such, an important feature of the invention, therefore, resides inthe configuration and arrangement of the elastic side panels, whileanother important feature lies in the specific structure of the frontpanel itself, the latter embodying resilient elongated reinforcingelements or bones which are arcuate in a plane parallel to the frontpanel and cross one another at least at one point, whereby they arebetter adapted to control and mold the abdominal region than straightreinforcing elements in garments of conventional types.

With the foregoing more important objects and-features in view and suchother objects and features as may become apparent as this specificationproceeds, the invention resides in the arrangement of parts and detailsof construction substantially as shown in the accompanying drawings,wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like partsand wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention in use;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the invention per se in a developed, fiatform;

Figure 4.is a fragmentary inside elevational view, on an enlarged scaleof the front portion of the garment;

Figure 5 is a sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of theline 5-5 in Figure 4;

' Figure 6 is a sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane ofthe line 6-6 in Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a sectional detail, on an enlarged scale, takensubstantially in the plane of the line 77 in Figure 4; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary plan view of one of the reinforcing elements.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in de tail, the torsoconstricting and molding undergarment exemplified by a girdle is.designated generally by the reference numeral 10, it being understood,of course, that the invention is also equally adaptable to corsets,corselets, and the like. In any event,jthe garment 10 includes anabdomen encircling member having a vertically elongated front panel 11and a pair of elastic side panels 12 which are secured to opposite sideedges of the front panel and are yieldable circumferentially of thegarment.

The front panel 11 is made of fabric on non-elastic material and, ifdesired, a back panel 13 of similar material may be interposed betweenthe outer side or rear Patented Feb. 17, 1959 edges of the side panels12, as shown. Moreover, a con tinuous elastic waist band 14 may beprovided at the upper edges of the side panels 12 and back panel 13flush with the upper edge of the front panel 11, as illustrated.

It is to be noted that the side panels 12 have upwardly convergent loweredges 15 and that a pair of tapered substantially triangular elasticlower panels 16 are provided thereunder, the panels 16 having downwardlydivergent upper edges 17 secured by open stitching 18 to the lower edges15 of the side panels 12, while the inner end edges 19 of the panels 16are stitched to the opposite side edges of the front panel 11.

The lower panels 16 thus extend laterally and downwardly in an obliquedirection from the front panel 11 .to the opposite sides of the garmentand over the hips of the user, the tapered end portions 16a of thepanels projecting rearwardly beyond the outer side edges of the sidepanels 12, as is best shown in Figures 2 and 3 and have the apicesthereof disposed at the lower edge of the garment. The elastic materialof the panels 16 is yieldable in the oblique directions in Which thepanels extend as above stated, and since the panels pass over the hipsand the thighs of the user, an efiicientmolding and shape controllingaction of these regions will be obtained through the obliquely directedelasticity of the panel material.

With particular reference now to the accompanying Figures 4-8, it willbe noted that an inner panel 20 of fabric or non-elastic materialunderlies the upper portion of the front panel 11, being secured theretoat the upper edge 21 and at the side edges Where the front panel issecured to the side panels 12. The lower edge 22 of the inner panel 20is spaced upwardly from the lower edge of the front panel and isdetached therefrom as indicated at 23 in Figure 5.

A set of elongated, resilient reinforcing elements or bones 24, 25, 26,27 is carried by the inner panel 20 in elongated pockets 28, 29, 30, 31respectively, formed by stitching narrow strips of material to the innerface of the panel 20, as is best shown in Figure 7.

As shown in Figure 8, the elements 24, 25, etc., are of the type madefrom closely pressed, fiat loops or coils of Wire 24a, well known in theart, the important feature being that such elements, unlike conventionalbones, are resiliently bendable in the plane of their thickness as wellas in the plane of their width. Accordingly, when the elements 24, 25,etc., are installed in the pockets 28, 29, etc., they are arcuatedsubstantially as shown in Figure 4 in the plane of their width, that is,in a plane parallel to the panels 11, 20. Of course, the pockets 28, 29,etc., are arcuate in the same manner so as to sustain the reinforcingelements therein in the desired arcuate position.

While the upper end portions of the elements 24, 25, etc., aresubstantially parallel with each other, their lower arcuate portions aredirected from one side of the vertical center line of the garment towardthe other so that they are crossed at least at one point. Specifically,the pocket 28 crosses the pocket 30, the pocket 29 crosses the pocket 31and the pockets 29, 30 cross each other. The elements 24, 27 in thepockets 28, 31 extend almost the full length of those pockets down tothe points indicated at 32. However, the elements 25, 26 in the pockets29, 30 extend only to the points 33 near the intersection of thosepockets with the pockets 28, 31. Accordingly, while the pockets crossone another at three points, namely, 34, 35, 36, the reinforcingelements are crossed at only one point, namely, 34.

The laterally curved arrangement as well as the crossing of the variousreinforcing elements and pockets facilitates efficient distribution offorces in the plane of the front panel of the garment, with the resultthat proper abdominal contour control is achieved without sacrifice ofComfort and undue bulkiness. Moreover, the directional arrangement ofthe reinforcing elements, as described, coacts with the obliqueelasticity of the lower panels 16 in an efficient equalization of forcesdownwardly and to the sides of the body, that is, from the front regionof thc abdoment to the hips and thighs, so that the garment as a wholeis capable of excellent torso molding and shaping qualities.

Since the elements 25, 26 in the pockets 29, 3% stop short of thepockets 24, 31, respectively, unnecessary multiple crossing of thereinforcing elements is avoided, while the crossing of the pocketsthemselves at the points 35, 36 andcontinuation of the pockets 29, 33,downwardly beyond these points serves to provide a satisfactory amountof reinforcement in those regions.

In accordance with conventional practice, the garment is provided withthe usual slide fastener 37 and hose suspenders 38, as shown.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferredembodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparentto those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly,it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure and variousmodifications may be resorted to, such as may lie within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a torso constricting and molding undergarment, an abdomenencircling member including a vertically elongated front panel, a pairof elastic side panels secured to opposite side edges of said frontpanel and yieldable circumferentially of the garment, said side panelshaving upwardly convergent lower edges, and a pair of taperedsubstantially triangular elastic lower panels having inner end edgessecured to the opposite side edges of said front panel and downwardlydivergent upper edges secured to the lower edges of the respective sidepanels, said lower panels extending obliquely from said front panellaterally and downwardly to opposite sides of the garment over thethighs of the user and being yieldable substantially in parallel to thedirections in 4 which they extend, tapered end portions of said lowerpanels being disposed at the sides of the garment and projectingrearwardly beyond the outer side edges of said side panels, the apicesof said tapered end portions being disposed at the lower edge ofopposite sides of the garment.

2. In a torso constricting and molding undergarment, the combination ofsuperposed inner and outer front panels secured together at the top andside edges thereof, the lower edge of the inner panel being detachedfrom and spaced upwardly from the lower edge of the outer panel, saidouter panel being entirely free of reinforcing means, and reinforcingmeans provided on the surface of said inner panel adjacent the outerpanel, said last mentioned reinforcing means comprising a first pair ofelongated curved reinforcing elements extending downwardly in mutuallyconvergent relation from points at the upper edge of the inner paneladjacent the side edges thereof to a common point of convergencedisposed cen trally at the lower edge of the inner panel, and a secondpair of elongated curved reinforcing elements extending downwardly inmutually crossing relation from points at the upper edge of the innerpanel spaced inwardly from the upper ends of the first reinforcingelements to points at the lower edge of the inner panel at therespective opposite side edges of the latter, said second pair ofreinforcing elements being mutually crossed substantially at the centerof the inner panel and crossing the respective opposite reinforcingelements in the first pair at opposite sides of and below their ownpoint of crossing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,058,991 Kahn Oct. 27, 1936 2,l00,986 Smit h et al Nov. 30, 19372,219,153 Versoy Oct. 22, i940 2,526,360. Johnson Oct. 17, 19502,607,037 Kahn Aug. 19, 1952 2,675,548 Leonard Apr. 20, 1954 2,696,614Imershein Dec. 14, 1954

